[113]
“About that matter we discussed.”
Peter transferred a small chip into Yuri’s pocket.
It contained an analysis of the guiding drug components.
“I… also sent the analysis results to the doctor.”
The doctor Peter referred to was Jessica from Baekyah.
As someone who had been treating addicts, she would put this data to good use.
‘Thanks to all the noise around us, I can speak aloud and it gets buried.’
They were reading each other’s lip movements to understand what the other was saying.
“Good. You did well.”
Yuri nodded subtly.
Even when facing an enemy that seems impossible to bring down, one must prepare for what comes after.
They may be content with tearing apart, destroying, and discarding, but we have to continue living.
They needed to rebuild the buildings that Thorns Order had demolished with bombs and recover the guiding drugs they had released.
They also needed to find addicts and help treat them.
This wasn’t because Yuri was a philanthropist or a compassionate person. From experience, he knew that if these matters were left unattended, there would inevitably be second and third generations of guiding drugs.
Even if they couldn’t block everything immediately, it was best to eliminate as many variables as possible.
Malice scattered here and there tends to sprout at unexpected moments.
Just like how the secret army that Rosenhauser had cultivated evolved into a terrorist organization.
Drug addicts, in particular, will do anything to get more of the same substance. This would create further problems.
‘Am I getting tired too?’
Yuri pressed the corner of his eye at the sudden thought.
It seemed his tension had eased after a little alcohol.
It had already been a year since he killed Rosenhauser. While he was dealing with the aftermath, Thorns Order began to move. The revenge was over, but he still felt tied to the past.
What awakened Yuri from this state was his gradually changing relationship with Chris.
‘If everything had remained the same as before, I might have given up for real.’
Even in moments when life seemed stagnant, there was a bond that they were newly discovering and building. This supported Yuri’s back in ways he hadn’t anticipated.
He had never once thought of himself as a precarious person. Therefore, it was only after standing on solid ground that he realized how desperately he had been trying to maintain balance.
“Watch your expression. They’re really starting to stare…”
Peter whispered timidly. Yuri snorted.
“If you don’t bet any money, there’s nothing to be depressed about. Let’s just pretend I came looking for a seat because the restaurant was full.”
In fact, some matches were held for free.
This was especially true for matches between players who weren’t particularly popular.
Due to the nature of the underground arena, not all spaces were spacious, so some facilities were always overcrowded. The restaurant was one of them.
It was always packed with customers despite selling food made with ingredients of questionable age. With a drink and a match filled with bloodshed, people here didn’t care what went into their mouths.
During mealtimes, people would wander around looking for a place to sit after getting food. Some would buy food during matches and eat while watching.
That was exactly what Yuri was referring to.
“…really.”
What a bad personality.
Peter muttered to himself without adding the latter part.
“It’s already hard to get tickets, and you’re saying you came to eat?”
“It makes sense. There are ticket scalpers here too.”
Peter’s mouth fell open at those words.
He had considered running around to buy tickets, but he hadn’t imagined ticket scalpers.
“With the right know-how, you can even get in by buying unsold tickets cheaply at the last minute.”
“But you would have had to specify exactly this location?”
“The scalper owes me a debt.”
Yuri answered casually and shrugged.
“If I don’t think I can do something directly, I must get someone else to do it.”
Peter suddenly understood Yuri’s decision to personally head to the Spring continent.
‘But wait, when did he even come here to lend money to a ticket scalper?’
And why did the scalper borrow money in the first place?
“H-how did you get to know someone like that?”
Yuri didn’t seem like the type to go looking for such connections.
“Apparently, he originally came as a spectator. After losing all his money to gambling, he found a business opportunity within the arena. His method was to buy up tickets first and then sell them to others for profit. But… even then, he couldn’t quit gambling.”
And that’s why he owes me.
Yuri added plainly.
‘Then get one for me too.’
Though grumbling internally, Peter looked at Yuri with fresh eyes.
Of course, he wasn’t entirely unaware that Yuri had been frequenting gambling dens and laying groundwork while staying with Chris. But this was too fast.
‘Has he already infiltrated this deeply?’
From Peter’s perspective, Yuri was resourceful.
No matter how capable a person is, it’s difficult to start anew on a completely different continent without the foundation and groundwork laid in one’s birthplace.
Peter, having observed many stowaways through Barrel Society, knew this fact well.
People with skills might fare slightly better, but most couldn’t find decent jobs.
‘Plus, people gathered in this illegal arena would be more closed off than outsiders, so how did he manage to break into that circle?’
Even the way he ate a burger looked impressive.
Holding it while gently rotating the wrapper meant his hands wouldn’t get dirty, but Peter couldn’t understand why his mouth remained clean too.
“Is that tasty?”
As far as Peter knew, Yuri was a picky eater.
“Not really. But there’s no better disguise.”
When you lift food, it covers your face and also lowers the guard of those watching you.
Not many people would think, “Hmm, that guy looks suspicious,” when seeing a wrapper with a large red ‘B’ printed on it.
It was a prop for disarming suspicion.
“That aside, why do you eat so neatly?”
Usually, when eating a hamburger and fries, wouldn’t one lick their fingers due to sauce or grease?
“You pick the strangest things to nitpick about.”
When Peter complained, Yuri tilted his head and answered.
“I once worked at a pub that sold beer. They gave us leftover burgers as staff meals.”
“Ah…”
The reason was more relatable than expected.
“If my hands got dirty, I couldn’t respond immediately when the pub owner called. Plus, there were staff who would snicker among themselves when they saw mayonnaise on others.”
It was hard to believe this was the past of a mafia boss.
“Why… why did you let such people live?”
Peter stuttered as he asked.
He couldn’t shake the feeling that he had brought up an unnecessary topic, yet he was irresistibly curious.
Just as he was excitedly anticipating an answer like “I hung them upside down later,” an unexpected response came back.
“I’d be out of work if I got fired.”
After all, I was also an illegal immigrant, strictly speaking.
Yuri added briefly.
Even in the Winter continent, there weren’t many places that would employ someone with an unclear identity.
However, ironically, the safest among them were places with owners who wanted to exploit the labor of those with uncertain status for cheap wages.
At the very least, such establishments only made you “work.”
“Besides, even in the Winter continent, they conduct basic investigations when someone dies, and I didn’t want to get involved in that.”
Listening to this left a bitter taste. It was too realistic.
This wasn’t just like flat soda; it was like water laced with vinegar.
Peter grimaced at the discrimination that even a mafia boss couldn’t escape.
‘Is that why he readily extended a hand to Barrel Society?’
He probably thought there might be room for cooperation since he understood the nature of this field.
“Hmm. That must have been annoying.”
“Back then, as now, I was raising a dog with separation anxiety.”
Replying as if it was nothing, Yuri paused.
He wasn’t entirely sure if Chris still had separation anxiety now.
It was strange.
In the past, it had been burdensome to take care of Chris, who couldn’t do anything without him. But now, even though Chris could walk properly on his own two legs and express his thoughts verbally, it wasn’t entirely pleasant either.
‘All sorts of vermin keep getting attracted…’
This is all because of the garbage-like environment.
“Gasp.”
Peter inhaled sharply.
Instinctively looking at the arena due to the audience’s outcry, he discovered a player who had been impaled by spikes emerging from the wall.
“Sh-shouldn’t they pull them out quickly?”
In contrast, Yuri’s gaze as he looked down at the scene below was ice-cold.
“He’s not dead yet.”
Since they “aren’t dead,” they won’t be extracted.
The audience here wants to see people struggling desperately to survive and win, even if they have to crawl on all fours.
‘It’s newly disgusting.’
The Colosseum matches are stimulating.
And… sadistic.
Considering that those up on that ring were Espers, it was quite unexpected.
‘Rosenhauser was an Esper supremacist.’
Yet the ‘Commander,’ presumed to be his adopted child, far from treating Espers well, treats them like disposable tissues.
It wasn’t ordinary to begin with, trying to generate profit through those who have difficulty surviving due to a shortage of Guides.
‘Maybe because they’re an Esper supremacist, they’re even more harsh towards their own kind.’
Yuri remembered how Rosenhauser had used and discarded psychic Espers.
When one starts selecting a few individuals with special talents from among humans, it’s a natural progression to favor those who are even more exceptional among them.
Having finished his brief speculation about the enemy, Yuri crushed his empty beer can and stood up.
“It seems I’ve finished what I came to do. I’ll contact you soon.”
“Next time, I’d prefer to meet in a less ordinary way.”
Peter muttered with a slightly pale face.
He never wanted to see Yuri munching on a burger again.
Though the comment was incomprehensible, Yuri nodded vaguely and left the spectator seats.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
